The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team put in a pair of credible performances on Friday, splitting a doubleheader with the highly-regarded Baylor Bears.
Buoyed by Connor Wood and Kaza Kajami-Keane, a pair who seem more and more likely to be Carleton’s ‘go-to’ players as the preseason rolls on, the Ravens claimed a 79-73 victory in the nightcap after being edged 80-78 in the day’s first game.
“We knew a lot about Carleton and Ottawa, and that’s why we wanted to come to Canada,” said Baylor coach Scott Drew. “We wanted to give our guys a chance to see what they could do against teams that were going to stretch us (defensively).”
Baylor, whose campus is in Waco, Texas, came up with key defensive plays en route to the victory in Friday’s first game. The Bears, who wrapped up the 2014-15 season ranked at No. 21 in the United States by the USA Today Coaches Poll, recorded 12 steals and six blocks in game one. A 9-0 run to begin the fourth quarter, capped by a huge dunk from Al Freeman, enabled Baylor to take control of the game. While Carleton kept things close, Baylor’s defence troubled the Ravens down the stretch, inducing multiple missed jumpers.
The night game of the doubleheader proved to be more satisfactory for the Carleton faithful in attendance at the Raven’s Nest, as Kaza Kajami-Keane put in his best performance to date in Carleton colours.
The Ajax native, a transfer from the NCAA’s Cleveland State University, posted a game-high 20 points and added six assists, showing marked improvement from Thursday’s 3-of-12 performance from the floor against Valparaiso. A pair of late-game three’s from veteran guard Connor Wood allowed the Ravens to put some space between themselves and Baylor.
